As Lebanon endured another night of heavy Israeli bombardment, UN humanitarians and partners reported that desperate civilians attempting to flee the violence faced further challenges after Israeli strikes damaged the country’s main border crossing into Syria.
A dawn attack created a large crater at the Masnaa crossing, cutting off vehicle access and forcing people to traverse the rubble on foot, according to Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Despite the difficult conditions, many continued to flee through the damaged road.
The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 235,000 people have crossed into Syria in the last 10 days, with 82,000 Lebanese and 152,000 Syrians among them. In addition, 50,000 people, mostly Lebanese, have flown out of Beirut, with 1,000 fleeing by sea.
The ongoing Israeli strikes and ground incursions in southern Lebanon have displaced an estimated one million people, with 400,000 displaced in just the past two weeks.
